DOWNEY – Mayor Mario Guerra was a guest speaker and awarded letters of congratulations at the Business Education for Leading Ladies of America Club’s first meeting of the year at Downey High on Wednesday.
Now in its second year, BELLA is an all-girls after-school club where members learn about the business industry and how to succeed in an increasingly competitive business world. Members are chosen through an interview process, which took place this week. Guerra spoke to the girls on Wednesday to give letters of congratulations and certificates welcoming new members to the club.
“I commend the young ladies who are taking part in it and exploring possible future careers in business,” he said.
BELLA advisor and business teacher Jeannette Hernandez says she invited Guerra to Wednesday’s meeting, and Guerra accepted the invitation to be the club’s first guest speaker of the year.
“I’m excited,” Hernandez said. “He’s someone who is known in the city, and to have him as a guest speaker at our meeting makes a big statement.”
BELLA president and Downey senior Yaheli Aguilera said Guerra’s attendance is “great” and hopes the visit will establish the club’s credibility as a group.
“It establishes credibility and shows we’re serious,” she said. “The city recognizes what we’re doing.”
With the same goal in mind, Hernandez said she hopes that Guerra’s visit will open up opportunities for additional outside support from the local business community.
“This is the first year we really established ourselves as a club,” she said. “We want to brand and establish ourselves, and by the girls hearing a special guest, it shows them how hard-working we are.”
Guerra commended the club for its promoting business as a future career to high school students.
“It’s a great club,” he said.
For more information on BELLA, visit www.belladhs.webs.com.